


don't want to miss a thing

by gilligankane



Series: you can tell everybody this is your song [13]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: 80's Music, F/F, F/M, Gen, Mixtape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 06:14:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13024977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gilligankane/pseuds/gilligankane
Summary: They’re all together on the best day of Nathan’s life.The ache in her feet, where her toes are pinched into a pair of shoes she doesn’t always wear, is suddenly worth it.





	don't want to miss a thing

**Author's Note:**

> Today’s Flashback Friday features the return of Loverboy, an overdue talk, and a wedding.
> 
> This takes place in the fall of 1995. Nicole is 24 and Waverly is 23.

**“I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” Aerosmith, 1995  
**_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender. I could stay lost in this moment forever. Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure._  

“Okay, bitches. Listen up.” Mercedes pushes her sunglasses up into her hair, one hand on her hip. 

Nicole catches Wynonna’s eye over Mercedes’s shoulder and sighs. Beth rolls her eyes, but Anne stands at attention, her eyes locked on Mercedes as she paces in front of the entrance of the small dress shop.

“I already picked out your dresses. _No_ , you can’t get something else,” Mercedes says slowly. “ _Yes_ , you will wear what I chose. _No_ , you won’t bitch about it to me.” She narrows her eyes at Beth. “Clear?”

“Crystal,” Beth says lightly. “Unlike those earrings you’re wearing.”

Mercedes touches her earrings. Nicole knows they were a gift from Nathan, given to him by their mom. They used to belong to Nicole’s great-great grandmother.

“No,” Mercedes agrees, her voice cold. “They’re _pearl._ And worth more than that hideous necklace Jonas got you.” She gestures at the sapphire around Beth’s neck. She reaches for it. “Is it made of plastic?”

Beth leans away before Mercedes can get a finger on it, scowling at her sister.

Wynonna slips around Mercedes and elbows Nicole in the ribs. “This beats spending another Saturday at The Patch.”

Nicole pouts. “No, it doesn’t.”

Wynonna rolls her eyes. “Oh, come on. You see Waverly every day.”

“I just don’t understand why I couldn’t go with Nathan,” Nicole huffs. “Instead, I have to spend the day with Alicia, _Beth_ , and Mercedes.”

“And me,” Wynonna adds. “And I think her name is Abby.”

Nicole sighs. “Yeah, and you. Except you should be home working on that assignment,” Nicole adds. “Are you sure it’s not Alicia?”

“I think her name is Abby,” Wynonna repeats. She shrugs. “Waverly can do it for me.”

Nicole turns, her mouth open to start scolding Wynonna.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Wynonna says. “Mostly. Waverly is going to look it over for me.”

“You have to do it first for her-”

“I already did it,” Wynonna interrupts.

Nicole pauses. “You did?”

Wynonna nods. “Came up with a new budgeting system for The Patch. I mean, we were supposed to do something pretend, but I already work at a business, so I figured I’d pick that. It was easy, really. I just made a spreadsheet of all our ingoing and outgoing expenses, then I calculated how we can save costs by switching our vendors from Ottawa to more local companies. Did you know we can save, like, _tons_ of money if we just...” She trails off, squinting against the mid-morning sun cutting through the clouds. “Did I do it wrong?” She groans. “I’ll have to call Waverly and tell her not to-”

Nicole throws an arm around Wynonna’s shoulders, pulling her close. “That’s actually really clutch.”

Wynonna blinks up at her. “Really?”

Nicole nods firmly. “Really, really.” 

Wynonna ducks her head, but Nicole can see the the way her cheeks go red, right before her hair falls across her face. “Curtis had wanted to go local,” she admits. “Years ago. But he couldn’t find a way to make it cost-effective.”

Nicole feels her chest tighten. “That’s-”

“Are you two listening?” Mercedes snaps.

“Yes,” Nicole says.

“Absolutely not,” Wynonna answers.

“I’m listening,” Anne says, her voice too loud. She looks a little embarrassed when Mercedes’s head snaps around in her direction. She straightens her shoulders anyway.

“Teacher’s pet,” Wynonna mutters. “Who is she again?”

Nicole shrugs. “Some distant cousin?” she answers out of the corner of her mouth. “I think Mercedes said her mom made her add her to the wedding.”

“Can we get a move on?” Beth asks impatiently. “Jonas is taking me to dinner tonight.”

“What, did you-”

Nicole slaps her hand over Wynonna’s mouth, smiling politely at Beth. “Great. We all want to get this over with. Let’s just- Ew!” She glares at Wynonna. “You licked me.”

Wynonna sticks out her tongue and wiggles it at Nicole. “Sure did.”

“Loverboy, get the door,” Mercedes instructs.

Nicole wipes her hand on Wynonna’s jacket and reaches for the door handle reflexively, frowning as Mercedes winks at her and slips inside.

“Dude,” Wynonna says.

Nicole shakes her head. “Don’t say a word.”

“Waverly is going to _love_ hearing about that,” Wynonna sings, gliding past Nicole and into the store.

Nicole groans. _Waverly_ , who was at The Patch, waiting for her to come home, would definitely _not_ love to hear that.

Nicole thinks back to this morning, to Waverly laying in bed, pouting at her.

“Why do you have to go?” she asked. “It’s my day off.”

Nicole pulled on her jeans, buttoning and zipping them before she lifted her leg onto the bed, reaching for the cuff of her pant leg. She rolled it quickly, two neat folds up until the jeans sat right above her ankles. She did the same with the other leg. “You know you don’t have to work at The Patch, right? You can take the weekends off.”

Waverly shrugged. “I told Gus I’d work through the end of the year.”

“Gus would be okay with you changing your mind,” Nicole pointed out.

Waverly had scooted up, resting her back against the headboard. Nicole lifted the comforter, looking for her sock. When Waverly cleared her throat, Nicole looked up to find her pointing in the direction of the door. Styx was laying in the in the doorway, happily chewing on her sock.

“ _Styx_ ,” Nicole scolded, taking it out of his mouth. He whined and put his head down on his paws. “She would,” Nicole repeated.

Waverly had sighed. “Of course she would.” She patted the empty side of the bed - Nicole’s side - and clicked her tongue. Styx bounded across the bedroom, making a running leap onto the bed. He flopped down next to Waverly, his stomach exposed. “But with Wynonna finishing up school and not taking as many shifts, she’s short-staffed,” Waverly finished, idly rubbing Styx’s stomach.

Nicole sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her socks on, then reached down for her Chippewa boots. They were brand new and still smelled like fresh cut leather. She laced them tightly and stood back up. “It’s just a fitting. It won’t take long. And then I’ll swing by The Patch and we can take Styx out to the w-o-o-d-s,” she spelled out.

Waverly shrugged.

Nicole kneeled at the edge of the bed, slowly crawling forward. The open front of her flannel shirt hung loose around her tucked white t-shirt. “Waves,” she said.

Waverly shrugged again.

“Waverly,” Nicole said, crawling closer.

Waverly turned her head, but Nicole caught the smile stretching across her face.

“ _Baby_ ,” Nicole breathed out, brushing Waverly’s hair back and placing a kiss under her chin. “I’ll go get this over with, we’ll hang out at The Patch, then we’ll go out.”

Waverly turned back to face her. “And we’ll go see _Dangerous Minds_?” she asked. “It’s playing at 7:35 tonight. I checked the newspaper yesterday.”

Nicole sighed. “Is that the one with-”

“Michelle Pfeiffer,” Waverly sighed dreamily. “She’s a teacher in a poverty-stricken area who manages to break down the economical and racial walls long enough to reach her students,” she finished in one breath.

“Fine,” Nicole agreed after a minute. “But I want double fries at lunch.”

“Deal,” Waverly sang, grinning widely. She stretched her body forward. “Have a good fitting, baby.”

Nicole groaned as she pushed herself off the bed and started towards the door, stopping only to scratch Styx behind the ears. “As long as I don’t have to wear a dress,” she muttered.

“These are the dresses!” Mercedes announces, pulling Nicole back to the present.

Nicole inhales sharply. Wynonna laughs. Beth’s eyes widen and her mouth drops. Anne claps excitedly.

 _They’re terrifying_ is Nicole’s first thought. Her second is _thank God I don’t have to wear one of those_.

“It’s… _gold_ ,” Wynonna finally manages, laughing again.

Mercedes straightens her shoulders proudly. “You bet your top-shelf ass they’re gold.”

Nicole starts to chew on her thumbnail. Wynonna reaches over without looking and swats her hands away.

“It’s _gold_ ,” Beth whispers, horrified.

Nicole stares at the dress. The longer she stares, the worse it gets. It looks like it’s made of gold aluminum foil. The bodice is horizontal, but the top and the skirt are ruffled and tufted. It glints and gleams in the light, enough for Nicole to want to close her eyes.

“Anne,” Mercedes says.

Nicole looks at Wynonna, mouthing _Anne_ at her.

Wynonna shrugs.

“-in the changing room,” Mercedes is saying as Nicole looks back at her. She makes a shooing motion at Anne, who takes the dress and scurries into the small room. The attendant follows her, a pin cushion in her hand.

Mercedes sighs and turns, dropping onto the small chaise lounge between the racks of dresses.

“ _Gold_ ,” Beth repeats. “You’re not serious.”

“I kid you not, sister dear,” Mercedes says. “They’re _perfect_. Nathan loves them, of course.”

“Nathan hit his head a lot in football,” Nicole mutters.

Mercedes glares at her. “He loves them because _I_ love them.”

Wynonna snorts. “The sex must be _really_ good.”

Nicole elbows Wynonna in the side. “Shut up,” she mutters. “That’s my brother.”

“Who is getting married. This isn’t, like 1885, or whenever Gus and Curtis got married.” Wynonna lowers her voice into a loud whisper. “People sleep in the same bed.”

Nicole feels her face go red. “I _know_ that,” she hisses.

“Oh, gosh, Mercedes. I _love_ it,” Anne gushes as she comes out of the dressing room.

Nicole has to swallow back the urge to laugh. Wynonna, though, laughs loudly, falling back onto the chaise next to Mercedes.

“Don’t be a bitch,” Mercedes scolds. “I’m much better at it than you are.” She pushes Wynonna over and stands up. “Hmm.” She twirls one finger in the air and Anne spins dutifully.

“It’s _worse_ ,” Nicole barely breathes.

The skirt billows out as Anne continues to spin in a circle. It feels like Waverly’s prom all over again, except the pink couches and curtains aren’t anything like the sea blue walls of the gym. Still, the gold dress sparkles like a disco ball, and Nicole almost wants to shield her eyes.

The top of the dress is large, puffed out around Anne’s shoulders. The neckline looks like a large row of aluminum foil, pinched together every few inches to make something like that looks like a Christmas wreath.

“It’s _perfect_ ,” Mercedes shouts. She looks at the attendant. “It’s _perfect_.”

“It looks like the foil on a bottle of champagne.” Wynonna gestures at that dress. “I mean, pop the cork and watch it go, right?”

Beth rolls her eyes. “I didn’t know you knew what champagne was.”

Wynonna waves a hand at Beth dismissively. “I spoil Doc all the time.”

“You’re up, Beth,” Mercedes cuts in, just as Beth goes to respond.

Beth snaps her mouth closed and glares at Wynonna for a moment before she huffs and stands, following the attendant to the changing room. Anne keeps spinning in a circle, letting out small _oohs_ and _ahhs_ as she poses in the full-length mirror on the other side of the small sitting room.

Mercedes crooks her finger in Nicole’s direction. “‘Come here, Loverboy.”

Nicole shakes her head. “No way.”

“Oh, for God’s sake. I’m not going to kiss you. This time,” Mercedes adds, winking. “Little Earp would blow her pretty little head.”

Nicole keeps shaking her head. “I still don’t know why I couldn’t go with Nathan and the other guys.”

“So we didn’t miss out on your bitchin’ choice in flannels,” Mercedes says. She sighs, annoyed, and leans forward, grabbing the end of Nicole’s flannel. She tugs, hard.

Nicole stumbles forward, catching herself before she falls onto the chaise. Wynonna slides over, patting the space between her and Mercedes. Nicole’s shoulders drop, defeated. She sits down, trying to wedge herself between Mercedes and Wynonna.

“Don’t wrinkle it,” she mutters when Mercedes doesn’t let go of her flannel. She tries to work the fabric out of Mercedes’s hand. “Come on, Mercedes.”

“ _Come on, Mercedes_ ,” Mercedes mocks. She lets go of the flannel, though, half-heartedly smoothing it out. “Don’t get your iron-pressed underwear into a twist.”

“I don’t iron my-” Nicole cuts herself off. “I don't do that.”

Wynonna shrugs. “That’s not what Waverly says.”

Nicole opens her mouth to argue back, but Beth comes storming out of the changing room, the attendant hurrying behind her as she tries to zip up the back.

“Absolutely _not_ ,” Beth declares, stopping in front of them with her hands on her hips.

Anne stops twirling around in circles.

Mercedes throws her head back and laughs. “You look so _rad_.”

“I am _not_ wearing this.”

Mercedes stops laughing, leaning forward, her elbows on her knees. She steeples her fingers slowly, her eyes narrowed and unblinking. “Here’s the thing, _sis_ . It’s _my_ wedding. And it’s _my_ choice. So you’re going to put on this _totally awesome,_ dress and you’re going to smile like you mean it.” She smiles suddenly, fake and terrifying. “Got it, Norville?”

Beth’s jaw twitches, but she eventually nods.

Mercedes leans back against the chaise. “Good.”

Beth turns on her heels and marches back in the opposite direction. The attendant sighs heavily and follows her.

“I wouldn’t even have her in the wedding, but Mother insisted,” Mercedes grumbles. “That one, too,” she says, pointing at Anne, back to spinning in front of the mirror. “Nathan and I wanted to do a small thing, at the city hall first, and then somewhere we both like. Maybe The Patch, or the house. With, like, you guys and his friends and your mom and my parents. Small. Easy.” She sighs.

“Why don’t you just elope?”

Mercedes laughs sharply. “And what? Daddy would chase Nathan right out of town with the end of his hunting rifle.” She shakes her head. “We’ll jump through the hoops. It’s okay.” Her eyes soften. “He’s worth it.”

“I’ve seen him eat pasta off his boxers,” Wynonna offers.

“He can pop the top off a Moosehead with his hand and a table edge,” Nicole adds.

Wynonna leans forward. “He has killer taste in t-shirts.”

Nicole nods. “But he cheats at Monopoly.”

“He cries at the end of _The_ _Fox and The Hound_.”

“Every time.”

Mercedes rolls her eyes. “Okay, okay.” She reaches across Nicole and swats Wynonna on the knee. “Your turn.”

Nicole slides over on the chaise, putting some space between her and Mercedes. She taps her foot, the toe of her Chippewa barely making a sound against the soft carpet under them. Mercedes inspects her nails carefully, one at a time until she’s out of fingernails.

“You’re okay with this, right?” Mercedes asks.

Nicole blinks. “With what?”

“With me and Nathan.”

“That’s not up to me,” Nicole points out.

Mercedes shifts on the chaise. Her eyes are different, softer, and her mouth is turned down into a worried frown. “But, you’re his family.”

“Oh,” Nicole says. “Well. He loves you, right? I mean, he proposed.”

Something like a blush floods Mercedes’s cheeks. “Only because I said I was going to first.”

Nicole leans down and readjusts the cuff of her jeans. She checks the sleeve of her flannel, rolled up over her elbow. She looks around. Anne is drifting through the dresses on the racks, still wearing her gold dress. Beth is grumpily flipping through a copy of _Canadian Living_.

“It’s okay,” Mercedes whispers. “You don’t have-”

“He’s happier,” Nicole rushes to say.

Mercedes pauses.

“After the accident, he was…” Nicole trails off, remembering a few years ago, when she had driven her mom to the hospital, the news of Nathan’s accident still ringing in her ears. He had woken up angry and mean and defeated. She remembers game nights with Perry and Chrissy - some that ended with Nathan flipping the board and driving off in his Eldorado, tires squealing in the driveway. “He was different,” she finally says.

“I didn’t really know him before that,” Mercedes admits. “I mean, he’s a year older than me.”

Nicole nods. “I know you didn’t. But… with you? He’s almost the Nathan I used to know. But he’s… he’s _better_.” She shrugs, unsure of herself. “Like, he’s the Nathan he used to be, but he’s also… he smiles more. And he gives me less noogies.”

Mercedes rolls her eyes.

“But he smiles more,” Nicole repeats. She drops her voice to a whisper. “Because of you.”

Mercedes’s face softens. “Really?”

Nicole nods slowly. “After our dad left, he took on a lot. And after the accident, he was a stranger. Mixing his pain medication with a beer after work, breaking things. Stuff like that. And then he met you and…” She trails off. “That day that we all went to the mall in the city and played Laser Tag? _That_ Nathan? He was just like a little kid again, rolling over things and sneaking up on people and, okay, he limped for _days_ afterwards, but he carried your phone number around the whole time, taking it out of his wallet every so often to look at it.” 

“H-he did?”

Nicole smiles.

Wynonna stomps into the middle of the room, her old Altama boots clashing with the gold dress. “I _love_ this,” she declares. “I’m wearing it to Christmas dinner.”

“Gus’ll blow a blood vessel,” Nicole says.

Wynonna sways back and forth, the skirt swishing. “Waverly is going to _love_ this.”

Nicole groans. She hadn’t thought of that, but Wynonna is right. Waverly is going to love the tacky ruffles and the lyrca-looking bodice. And the _gold_.

“Okay,” Mercedes says excitedly, her voice high and airy again. “Last, but not least.”

Nicole smoothes down the nonexistent wrinkles on the thighs of her pants. She starts thinking about the rest of the day. Thank god she took her own car here; Wynonna can just ride home with Mercedes so Nicole doesn’t get roped into whatever thing they’re doing next. She can swing by The Patch and have her lunch while Waverly finishes her shift, and maybe they can catch the afternoon showing of _Dangerous Minds_ and then take Styx out towards Moose Lake and spend the rest of the day out there.

“I mean you, Loverboy,” Mercedes says after a minute.

Nicole’s head snaps up. “What?”

Wynonna bites down on her bottom lip, trying to hold in a smile. Mercedes is nodding. “Your turn,” Mercedes says.

“My turn _what_?” Nicole asks.

Mercedes points towards the waiting attendant. “Go try it on.”

Nicole tries to shrink back against the chaise. “No.”

“It’s my party,” Mercedes reminds her.

“You’re delusional.”

“All of the girls are wearing them.”

“You’re insane.”

“I’m the bride,” Mercedes corrects. “Come on. For me?”

Nicole glares. “I’m not wearing that thing.”

Mercedes glares back at her.

Wynonna starts humming Triumph’s “Fight The Good Fight” under her breath.

Finally, Nicole sighs and stands, peeling off her flannel. “This is not okay.”

“You’re going to look _bangin’_ ,” Mercedes sings.

Wynonna laughs, loudly, slapping a hand over her mouth.

“No,” Nicole decides, sitting back down. She crosses her arms over her chest, ignoring the way her flannel folds against the lines she ironed in.

Mercedes glares at Wynonna before she turns back to Nicole. “Come on,” she coos. “All the girls are wearing them,” she repeats.

“Absolutely _not_ .” Nicole shakes her head firmly. “For one thing, I don’t wear dresses. _Ever_. For another-”

Mercedes walks her fingers down Nicole’s arm, peeling them away from her body. “Loverboy. _Loverboy_.”

“You can’t just-”

“Come here, Loverboy,” she murmurs.

Nicole tries to slide back across the chaise, but Wynonna is sitting on her other side. She feels the back of her neck start to sweat as she realizes she’s trapped.

“Oh, Loverboy,” Mercedes continues.

“You can’t just recite the lyrics of ‘Love is Strange’ at me and expect me to just-”

“ _Baby_ ,” Mercedes starts to sing.

Wynonna is still laughing behind her back. Nicole elbows blindly behind her, catching Wynonna somewhere soft with enough force that Wynonna coughs in surprise.

Nicole points her finger in Mercedes’s face. “I am _not_ putting that dress on.”

Mercedes pulls her mouth down and her eyes in, lines on her forehead. “For Nathan?” she asks in a whisper.

Nicole stomps across the room and towards the dressing stall. She reaches for the handle and throws one last pleading look over her shoulder, but Mercedes is still grinning at her and Wynonna is still holding a hand over her mouth. She pulls open the dressing room door and closes it before the attendant can slip inside behind her. “For Nathan,” she says to herself. “This is for Nathan.

She closes her eyes and rests her forehead on the closed door, taking a deep breath before she turns around to face the dress. She hums a few bars of Survivor’s “Everlasting” under her breath, getting through one chorus before opens her eyes.

“Oh,” she breathes out.

She’s expecting a gold dress to be hanging from the small hook on the opposite wall - she worked herself up for a barely knee-length, tin foil dress.

Instead, there’s a dark gray suit hanging in front of her - a jacket, pants, and a white button down shirt with a gold bowtie wound through the collar. A gold cummerbund is sitting on the small stool in the corner of the dressing room.

Slowly, she takes the suit off the wall hanger, looking for the dress. Mercedes wouldn’t have gone through all of that trouble just to _not_ have her put on the dress. She pauses and sighs, laughing at herself. _Mercedes absolutely would put me through all of that just to have me wear a suit_ , she thinks. Nicole hangs the suit back up and slips out of her flannel, hanging it on the hook on the opposite wall. She leaves her undershirt on, but peels her jeans off one leg at a time, trying to keep the cuff as intact as possible - she ironed them just this morning.

The button down fits in the shoulders but is an inch too long in the sleeves. She makes a mental note to ask Linda if she can do something about it. The pants are brand new and stiff, but they fit at the waist and come down right at her ankles. It’s not fitted the way her prom tuxedo was - instead, they’re loose airy. She tucks her undershirt in and then her button down, spreading out the bunched fabric before she pulls the cummerbund around her waist. She has to adjust the fit before it feels right, but when she looks up in the full-length mirror, she pauses.

She liked the vest better, the one she wore to Waverly’s prom. But the gold looks good against the gray and the cummerbund is snug at her waist. She ties the bowtie twice before she’s satisfied with the knot, and then slips the jacket on. It’s too short in the arms, against the too-long button down. The shoulders are a little wide, but manageable. She buttons the three buttons and takes a deep breath before she steps out of the dressing room.

Mercedes is still grinning at her, but it’s softer and more genuine this time. Wynonna is laying with her head against the back of the chaise, opening one eye and then the other. Anne is sitting on the arm of the chaise, and Beth is still clutching that _Canadian Living_ magazine.

“Well?” she asks nervously.

Wynonna sits up quickly, blinking as her vision refocuses.

Mercedes stands up, clapping her hands together once. She circles Nicole like the sharks in the National Geography documentary they watched in her freshman biology class. Her fingers graze Nicole’s shoulders, down her sleeves, across her cummerund, and up to her collar. “Perfect,” she decides.

Nicole tugs at the sleeves. “These are too long.”

Mercedes waves a hand. “They can take care of that.”

The attendant nods rapidly. “Yes. Yes, we can.”

Nicole fidgets, her eyes finding Wynonna’s. “Well?”

Wynonna nods slowly. “Waverly is going to blow a gas cap.”

Nicole snorts. “Waverly doesn’t know what a gas cap is.”

“She’s gonna blow something,” Wynonna murmurs. She twirls her finger in the air and Nicole spins reflexively. “Damn, Haught.”

Mercedes steps back, her arms over her chest. “Maybe I’m marrying the wrong one,” she says, winking.

Beth huffs loudly. “Can we be done admiring her? Julia Roberts wore a suit to the Golden Globes in 1990. This is _so_ five years ago."

Wynonna starts to lift her middle finger in Beth’s direction, but Nicole glares at her. She sticks her tongue out instead.

Nicole looks nervously at Mercedes. “It’s okay?”

Mercedes taps a single finger against her chin, thinking. Nicole feels her whole body on edge as she waits. She picks at the skin around her thumbnail. Wynonna looks at her pointedly and Nicole flexes her hand before she curls it into a fist instead.

“Very handsome,” Mercedes finally says. “A little tailoring in the arms. Maybe the shoulders, too. And we’ll have to figure out something about your hair. It’s…”

Nicole reflexively reaches for the end of her hair. “It’s what?” she asks defensively.

“Flat,” Mercedes finishes. She touches her own teased out hair. “Other than that, you look very handsome,” she repeats.

Nicole feels her face flush. She kicks at the ground, her Chippewa not making a sound against the carpet. She reaches up to scratch at the back of her neck, but catches the time on her Casio DW-6500.

“It’s already noon?”

Mercedes looks at the fancy rose gold watch on her own wrist with an analog face. She frowns. “So?”

Nicole starts to unbutton her suit jacket. “So, I told Waverly I’d be at The Patch by 12:30.”

Mercedes pouts. “But we were going to go to Shorty’s after this and kick those high school punks off the Pac-Man machines.”

Nicole shakes her head. “I’m taking Waverly to the movies, after I pick her up from work.” She starts reshuffling her afternoon in her head: lunch to-go so they can make the movie. And maybe somewhere closer than Moose Lake, so Styx can still get in a long walk before the sun starts going down. This time of the year, the nights get cool and dark quick.

“It’s my impromptu bachelorette party,” Mercedes continues to pout. “You have to come.”

“I’m not even a bridesmaid. I’m the….”

“Best Woman?” Wynonna offers.

Nicole snaps her fingers. “The Best Woman.”

“And I’m the Old Maid,” Wynonna says, pointing to herself.

Mercedes clears her throat. “You _have_ to come. We’re going to Blockbuster Video after Shorty’s and getting all of Patrick Swayze’s movies on VHS. And we’re gonna get _wasted_ on those drinks Wynonna makes.”

Nicole holds up a hand. “No, no. I already did the whole bachelor party thing.”  

She shudders as she remembers the group of guys she went with: Perry, Dolls, Doc, and a few guys Nathan worked with. There had been a half-hearted attempt to get her and Nathan through the door at Pussy Willows. Perry and Dolls had dragged their feet, too. When Nicole spotted Stephanie Jones’s car, parked under the Employees Only sign, she had spun on her heel and marched back towards Perry’s ‘93 Mercedes Benz 190.

“I’m not doing _anything_ like that again,” she promises.

Mercedes huffs. “You’re such a narbo.”

“Five-O,” Wynonna corrects. “She’s Five-O.”

Mercedes snaps her fingers. “That’s right, I forgot.”

Nicole ignores both of them and hurries into the changing room, hanging the suit jacket on the hook until she can put the shirt on the hanger. Everything is harder to take off than it was to put on. She can’t find the buckle for the cummerbund and the knot for the bowtie is tricky. Eventually, she carefully hangs each piece of her suit on its hanger. She sighs in relief as she pulls on her jeans and flannel, so much more comfortable in her own clothes.

Beth and Mercedes are arguing in low, hoarse whispers when she finally gets out of the dressing room. They stop almost as soon as they see her, but she’s so late for picking up Waverly that she doesn’t care. She meets Wynonna’s eyes. “You can ride back with Mercedes.”

Wynonna shrugs. “Sure.”

“It wasn’t a question,” Nicole points out. She leans over and kisses the top of Wynonna’s head, ignoring the way Wynonna fake-gags and pretends to push her away, even though she leans her head in. “Call you later.”

“Don’t I get a kiss?” Mercedes asks, biting on her bottom lip. “Come on, Loverboy. I’m not a free woman much longer.”

“And I’ve never been one,” Nicole fires back. She checks her watch and swallows heavily. “If you’re watching Swayze movies, _don’t_ watch City of Joy. Wynonna cries.” Nicole ducks the _Canadian Living_ Wynonna throws at her. “And don’t drink and drive.”

“Goodbye, Roller,” Wynonna says pointedly.

Nicole pops her _Voodoo Lounge_ cassette into the deck as soon as she starts her car, her tires squealing as she tears out of the parking lot, drumming the steering wheel to the beat of “Love Is Strong.”

She flies down Rt. 81, coming over the town line into Purgatory doing more than the posted speed limit. She immediately takes her foot off the gas, letting her car slow down. There’s a parking spot in front of The Patch, the same one she had the night she sat in her car and hoped she could get through Christmas dinner without bursting into tears at the thought of breaking up with Waverly. She doesn’t bother locking her car; just pockets her keys and jogs to the front door.

Waverly looks up as the bell above the door chimes. She’s leaning on the counter, a pencil in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. “Hey, baby.”

“I’m late, I know,” Nicole says immediately. “I tried to get out of there as soon as I could and-”

“It’s okay,” Waverly cuts her off. “It’s been a slow morning. I’m almost through this crossword and then we can go.”

“I still have to get Styx and see if Gus-”

Waverly waves one hand towards the kitchen, eyes on the newspaper in front of her. “I brought him downstairs with me this morning.” She looks up, her eyes wide. “I hope that’s okay?”

Nicole feels herself relax. “Of course it is, baby.” She leans over the counter, brushing her lips against Waverly’s forehead. “He’s _our_ dog. If you want to bring him to work with you, and Gus it okay with it, that’s totally fine.”

Waverly whimpers when Nicole leans back, winding her fingers in the front of Nicole’s undershirt, twisting to pull her forward again. “A _real_ kiss,” she mutters.

Nicole rolls her eyes, but smiles. She leans in, barely brushing her lips against Waverly’s. When Waverly groans again, Nicole laughs softly and pushes herself further over the counter, kissing Waverly firmly.

“Wicked,” Waverly breathes out.

“ _Wicked_ ,” Nicole mocks. “Where is Styx, anyway?” She stretches even further over the counter, but he’s not sleeping at Waverly’s feet like usual.

Waverly reaches towards the end of the counter, bringing her hand down on a bell. As soon as the first chime echoes, the kitchen door is swinging open, and Styx is barrelling towards her.

Nicole barely catches him, falling back onto her legs as she crouches down beside him.

“And there he is,” Waverly says. “Doesn’t he look _aces_.”

Nicole sits back on her heels and groans. “Why do you keep letting her put him in shirts?”

Waverly grins widely. “I like this one.”

Nicole leans down and lifts Styx’s head, scratching behind his ears as she tries to read what he’s wearing. “Is this… Is this Nathan’s old Black Sabbath t-shirt?” She looks up, first at Waverly, and then at the door leading to the kitchen.

Gus is leaning against the doorjamb. “I found it laying around the house, and I’m tired of picking up old band t-shirts. So I thought Styx might be getting a little cold on these cool October days.”

Nicole sighs and presses her face into Styx’s fur, inhaling deeply. He smells a little like wet dog and fryer grease, but she smiles anyway. She pulls back a little and he happily licks her face, his tongue wet and rough against her cheek. She looks back at Gus. “Can you keep him for a little while longer? We’re going to the movies.”

Gus waves both hands at her. “Go, go. Waverly has been talking about the goddamn movies all morning. If I hear one more thing about Michelle Pfeiffer, I’m going to dunk my head in the fryers. He’ll be just fine, don’t you worry.”

Nicole stands, one hand still scratching Styx’s head. “Don’t let Wynonna see him in this shirt. She loves it.”

Gus rolls her eyes. “The girl will get over it. Where is she, anyway?”

Nicole hesitates for a second. She doesn’t want to tell Gus Wynonna’s plans, and then have Gus get upset. But she can’t lie to Gus, either. “She’s still with Mercedes,” she says. “They’re going to Shorty’s after the fitting, and then renting some movies.”

Gus is quiet for a second. “Good,” she finally says. “She deserves a day off. Working on her degree and still being here all day isn’t good for her.” She nods firmly. “She needs a break.”

Nicole sighs gratefully. “Yeah, she does.”

Gus smiles widely. “Girl is top of her class. Did you know that?”

Waverly comes around the counter, her purse and Nicole’s old jacket in her hand. “Yes, Gus. _We know_. Because you won’t shut up about it.” She smiles, taking the sting out of the words.

“Always knew that girl was going to do it,” Gus says softly. “At least, Curtis did.”

Waverly leans up and presses a kiss to Gus’s cheek. “Curtis knew a lot of things.”

“Sure did, honey,” Gus says, her voice still small. She clears her throat and her eyes come back into focus. “Get out of here. Me and Styx have things to do.”

Nicole rolls her eyes. “Just don’t make ‘eating fries’ one of those things. He doesn’t need that in his diet.”

“I suppose you don’t either, Officer Haught?” Gus asks, pointing at a brown paper bag on the counter that Nicole didn’t notice before. “I can just put those back, then. Or maybe Bobo is hungry…”

“No, no, no,” Nicole says, reaching for the back before Gus can. “I’ll take care of them, don’t worry.”

Gus narrows her eyes. “I’m sure you will.” She pats her leg. “Come on, Styx. We’re in the middle of alphabetizing the canned items.”

“I see where you get it,” Nicole mutters.

Waverly’s hand is cool as it laces in her own. “Get what?” she asks.

“Nothing.” Nicole smiles brightly, squeezing Waverly’s hand. “Wanna get out of here?”

Waverly nods. “So tell me about your outfit,” she says as she pushes the front door open.

“Well, first of all,” Nicole says over the chiming of the bell. “I thought I had to wear a _dress_.”

 

-

Nicole pauses with the refrigerator door open, forgetting what she’s looking for as another burst of laughter echoes from the living room into the kitchen. She smiles to herself, picking up Chrissy’s voice as she launches into a story Nicole can’t make out the words to. She hears Waverly shout, “ _Oh! Yes!”_ and feels her smile stretching.

“They’re talking about you,” Nathan says as he comes into the kitchen, turning down the radio. He reaches around her and grabs a beer bottle, handing it to her before he gets his own. “Back in high school.”

Nicole groans. She grabs the bottle opener off the counter and opens her beer, then Nathan’s. “Why?”

Nathan shrugs. “That picture on the mantle.”

Nicole scowls. “I hate that picture.”

Nathan smiles. “It was the first day of my senior year. It was a big moment.”

“I’m pretty sure you tried to give me a wedgie, like, as soon as Mom took that picture.”

“Probably.” He tips his bottle in her direction. “Waverly thinks you look super ‘ _clutch_ ’ in your jean jacket. She especially likes your bedazzled pocket.”

Nicole groans again. “I can’t believe I let her bedazzle my _jacket_.”

“People in love do stupid things.”

For a second, she thinks about arguing with him, to save face; about telling him that she wasn’t in love with Waverly way back then. But he’s smirking at her around the top of his beer, and he let her borrow his Panasonic to make Waverly a last-chance mixtape, and she can’t lie to him about that. Instead, she ducks her head and scratches at the back of her neck and takes a long swallow from her own bottle.

“Whatever,” she mutters.

Nathan laughs. “Last week, I let Mercedes convince me that we needed to paint the kitchen walls… Whatever this color is,” he says, waving his free hand around the room as he sits down at the table.

Nicole pulls one of the chairs out and turns it around, sitting on it backwards. “Bali Blossom,” she says. She frowns.

Nathan pauses. “What?”

Nicole shrugs. “It just… it looks like a nail polish Waverly used to use.”

“And you remember the name of it."

“So what?” Nicole asks, her eyes narrowed.

Nathan puts up a hand in surrender. “Just asking.” He takes a sip of his beer. “That’s weird, though.”

“It’s _observant_ ,” she corrects. “I’m a cop.”

“Waverly doesn’t let anyone forget,” Nathan mutters. He smiles, though, taking the sting out of the words.

Nicole smiles softly. “Yeah, I know.”

Nathan picks at the label on his bottle. He leans forward, his shoulders hunched. Nicole watches him for a moment, trying to study his face. He looks so much like their father, with the same serious eyes and downturned mouth. They have the same rounded shoulders and thick hair. _And the same crappy taste in music_ , Nicole thinks. For one moment, she remembers the box of tapes her dad left her, the one she'd gotten rid of.

Nathan sits up suddenly, startling her.

“I almost forgot. I picked something up for you,” he says, standing slowly. His knee clicks, but he barely flinches. He pulls open the junk drawer where he keeps the takeout menus and the phonebook, taking out a small brown-wrapped package. “It’s a thank you. For being my best man.” He stretches his arm out.

Nicole takes it slowly, holding it carefully. It feels like a cassette tape - rectangular and weighted in just the right places. She thinks back to the last time Nathan gave her a cassette, and her stomach turns. Weird Al’s ‘In 3-D’ is still the worst thing to happen to music, _ever_.

“It’s not going to bite you,” Nathan says, sitting back down.

Nicole glares at him for a second before she slips a finger under the edge of the brown bag wrapping and peels away a piece of tape. She gets about halfway through the wrapping when she sees the front cover of the tape. Her stomach drops out at the sight of Weird Al coming out of a picture frame.

“Nathan,” she growls.

“ _Sike_ ,” he cheers. “Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D!”

“You’re such a scumbag,” she says, throwing the tape. It catches him in the forehead, bouncing off his head before it falls to the ground.

“Dammit, Nicole,” he laughs.

She ignores the flash of regret that rolls through her. “That’s what you get, you hoser.”

“Your face,” he says, rubbing at his forehead. “It’s almost as good as it was the first time I gave you that cassette.”

“Is it the same one?” she asks, stretching her leg out and kicking at the cassette. It slides across the linoleum towards Nathan.

“Yeah,” Nathan says shrugging.

Her mouth drops open. “You held onto this cassette for _11 years_ , just to give it to me the day before your wedding?”

”Well, I as going to give it to you the night before _your_ wedding, but I couldn’t wait that long.”

Nicole feels her face flush. “What do you-”

“Oh, come on,” Nathan says. “No one thought I’d be getting married before you.”

“To Mercedes Gardner, of all the people,” Nicole adds.

 “To Mercedes Gardner,” Nathan repeats.

“Tomorrow.”

Nathan sighs softly. “Tomorrow.”

He takes a sip of his beer, smiling around the mouth of the bottle. He’s looking across the room to the refrigerator, at the pictures littering the front of the appliance. Nicole follows his gaze, eyes roaming over the polaroids of Nathan and Mercedes, a few of Nicole and Nathan and their mom, and even one of the group - Perry and Chrissy, Jeremy, Dolls, Doc and Wynonna, Nicole and Waverly, and Nathan and Mercedes, all at The Patch last Christmas.

“I’m proud of you,” Nicole murmurs.

Nathan blinks before looking at her. “What?”

“I’m proud of you,” Nicole repeats. “For letting yourself be happy.”

Nathan groans and rolls his eyes. “Oh, jeez. Here we go with the girly stuff.”

Nicole leans forward, tipping the chair onto two legs. She smacks him in the arm. “It’s not _girly_ stuff. It’s called _emotions_. And it’s fine to have them. Waverly read an article that says it makes you a stronger person, to be able to ‘tap’ into your emotions.”

Nathan looks away, his cheeks flushed. “Whatever,” he mumbles.

“I’m…” Nicole trails off. “I’m serious, Nate. I thought… We all thought we lost you.”

Nathan looks back at her. “I was right here”

She raises an eyebrow. “No, you weren’t.”

Nathan sighs. “I mean-”

Nicole holds up her hand. “It’s fine. You don’t need to tell me. Or explain it, or anything. I just wanted to say it. So you knew.” She shrugs, feeling too exposed. “It’s fine,” she repeats.

Nathan sighs again. “I’m not good at this stuff,”

Nicole squints at him. “At what?”

“At talking about...,” Nathan says, waving his hands around between them. “At _talking_.”

“Neither was I,” Nicole admits.

Nathan scoffs.

“Really,” Nicole insists. “Waverly and I had a lot of… _misunderstandings_ because I didn’t know how to open my mouth and _say_ something.”

Nathan tips his bottle in her direction. “To the Haught’s. May we be bad communicators together.”

“Oh, I’m not anymore,” she corrects him. She shakes her head at the look he gives her. “Don’t lump me in with you. Because it was either, you know, suck at talking and be lonely, or be with Waverly.”

“And you’ve been with Waverly your whole life,” Nathan finishes. “So that must have been a no-brainer for you.”

“We broke up,” Nicole says after a minute. “I mean, I _thought_ we broke up. Back when she was in college.” She rolls her beer bottle in her hands. “I was jealous, I think. That she was so far away, doing really cool things. _Without me_ ,” she adds in a whisper.

Nathan frowns. “I didn’t know that.”

“No one did,” Nicole says quickly. “And then, in high school, we had a … thing. Where we weren’t seeing each other,” she adds.

Nathan nods slowly. “I remember that. I still can’t listen to ‘Mad World’ without gagging.”

Nicole laughs lightly. “That wasn’t even the worst of it.”

Nathan narrows his eyes. “How bad?”

“When she was away at school? Black Sabbath,” Nicole says.

Nathan winces. “‘Changes’, or…”

Nicole nods. “And ‘Nothing Else Matters’, too.”

Nathan exhales slowly. “Jesus. Metallica is-”

“I know,” Nicole says. “All because I didn’t want to _talk_.” She shrugs. “Or, I guess. Because I didn’t know how to.”

Nathan looks down at the floor, scuffing the top of his sock against the tile. “She didn’t answer my calls after our first date. Mercedes,” he adds.

Nicole doesn’t say anything, silently placing her beer on the table.

“I was… a total goon,” he admits. “I acted like… Like I was still in high school, I guess. Like Danny Zuko when Kenickie crashes Danny and Sandy’s date.”

Nicole winces. “Did you try to-”

Nathan shakes his head furiously. “No. No way would I _ever_. I was just… a show off. And, maybe rude? And as soon as I dropped her off at her house, when she slammed the door to my car and didn’t let me walk her to the front door? I knew I was a total bohunk.” He sighs.

“But you got her to go out with you again,” Nicole says.

Nathan nods. “It took a while.” He looks at the refrigerator again, at all of the pictures there. “She was the first good thing I’ve had since high school ended.” He scoffs and takes a swig from his bottle. “Springsteen was right. You know, ‘Glory Days,’ the song,” he adds, when Nicole says nothing.

“No, I know what you meant,” she says. “I just… You ended up with _terrible_ taste in music.”

“No, I didn’t,” he insists.

Nicole points at the Weird Al tape still on the floor.

“That’s _funny_ music. Snob,” he teases.

Another round of laughter filters into the kitchen. Nicole can hear Dolls’s deep voice declaring himself the winner.

Nicole takes a long pull from her beer. She points her finger in Nathan’s direction and starts to open her mouth, but someone lets out something like a battle cry, cutting her off.

Waverly comes sliding into the kitchen on socked feet, her eyes lighting up as she scans the room and spots Nicole. “Baby!” She takes Nicole’s face in her hands, tipping her head back, and she smiles. “Hey, you.”

“Hey back,” Nicole murmurs.

“I’m telling Chrissy about the time you mowed the lawn when I was outside practicing my cheer routine.”

Nicole feels her face flush. “Oh, you really don’t-”

“And how you nearly mowed over Gus’s fireweed flowers when I did a toe touch,” Waverly continues.

Nicole avoids the look she knows Nathan is giving her. “Y-yeah.”

Waverly sighs and strokes her thumb across Nicole’s cheek. “You were so nice looking,” she sighs. “In your cut-off Styx shirt and those cargo shorts.” She turns abruptly to Nathan. “Thank you for letting her borrow your cargo shorts.”

“You’re welcome,” Nathan says politely, grinning around the beer bottle in his mouth.

Waverly smiles widely, stretching up on her tiptoes. “I’m just getting some more snacks. We’re all out of chips.” She turns, doing a whole spin before righting herself and grabbing a bag of chips off the counter. “Do you think Wynonna and Mercedes are having as much fun as we are?”

Nicole snorts. “With Beth and cousin Anne? Fat chance.”

Waverly sighs wistfully. “That’s too bad. Because we’re having _so_ much fun. Dolls is, like, not even scary when he’s had a few beers.”

“And you,” Nicole says, grabbing Waverly by the belt loop and tugging her gently. “Are aces when _you’ve_ had a few yourself.”

“ _You’re_ aces,” Waverly breathes out. She leans down, kissing Nicole clumsily. Nicole tips her head back, trying to find the right angle, but Waverly is already dancing away, touching her fingers to her lips. “Uh uh,” she says, waving the chips at Nicole. “I know where that mouth has been.”

Nicole laughs. “Yeah, on-”

“Chissy’s, in August of 1988,” Waverly interrupts.

Nicole feels her stomach drop. Nathan nearly spits out the swallow of beer he just took.

“Uh…”

Waverly winks at her, dancing to the radio softly playing something Nicole can’t get an ear on. “Don’t worry, baby.”

“Waves, I-”

Waverly stops swaying, her eyes serious. “Really, baby. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“Oh,” Nicole breathes out.

Waverly comes closer, her face swimming as Nicole tries to focus on her. “I understand the appeal,” she says quietly. “You, in an old t-shirt with your hair pulled out of your face, and your arms…” She trails off, her finger tracing a line down Nicole’s shoulder to her elbow, over the rolled sleeve and muscle there. “I mean, I can’t _blame_ her, can I?”

“No,” Nicole says, her mouth dry.

“After all,” Waverly continues, leaning in closer. Her lips brush Nicole’s ear. “I got you, didn’t I? So that makes _me_ the winner.” Her teeth graze against Nicole’s earlobe. “And I like winning.”

Nicole swallows heavily.

Waverly slides back, her eyes dark and heavy. “I’ll be in there with Chrissy and Perry and Dolls. When you two are done in here, we’re going to play Aces, Straights, and Flushes.” She fires two finger guns at Nicole. “See you there, baby.” She dips out of the kitchen as easily as she slid in.

A loud roar comes out of the other room.

Nicole looks at Nathan slowly, her eyes wide and her face red.

“Communication, huh?” he asks.

Nicole groans and drops her forehead down against the top of the back of the chair.

Nathan laughs, reaching out to clap her on the back. “Good talk, kid.”

“Yeah,” Nicole says hoarsely. “I think I’m going to-”

“Wait,” Nathan interrupts. “I… If we’re _talking_ , I want to say one more thing.” He scratches at the back of his neck. “It’s about Dad.”

Nicole sits back down with a soft _thump_ , her bottle feeling warm in her hand. She had been waiting for this, _dreading_ this moment. She knew it would come eventually, and until this moment, she was sure she could grin and bear it through one afternoon - for Nathan and Mercedes’s sake. Now, though, she can’t swallow, and her hand aches around the nailbeds.

“Okay,” she says, her voice more steady than she feels. She takes a long swallow of her beer, avoiding Nathan’s eyes for just a minute. When she finally looks at him, he’s staring right back.

“First of all,” Nathan starts slowly. “He’s not coming.”

Nicole lets out a strangled noise - something between a sigh and a laugh.

One side of Nathan’s mouth twitches. “Was that an ‘oh, good’ noise or an ‘oh, crap’ noise?”

“I’m breathing, if you must know,” Nicole says defensively.

Nathan snorts. “Sure, whatever.” He looks at her, his face serious again. “I wanted you to know, okay?”

Nicole’s mind catches up to the conversation. “Oh, Nathan,” she sighs. “I’m sorry. I know you wanted him here, and if he said no because of me, then-”

“Woah,” Nathan says, holding up a hand. “He didn’t say he couldn’t come.”

Nicole blinks. “What?”

Nathan scoots his chair closer, their knees bumping. “I didn’t ask him to come,” he says slowly.

“What?” Nicole asks again.

“I didn’t send him an invitation to the wedding,” Nathan says even slower. “So he didn’t say he couldn’t come, because I didn’t invite him to be here.”

“But it’s your wedding,” Nicole breathes out.

He shrugs. “So?”

“So,” Nicole repeats, laughing breathlessly. “So, don’t you want him here?"

Nathan pulls back, his eyes wide. “Why would you think that?”

Nicole stares at him helplessly. “Why wouldn’t I?” She waves her hand at him quickly as she watches the disappoint flash across his face. “No, no. I don’t mean it in a bad way. I just… it’s your wedding day. I didn’t realize you didn’t want him to come.”

Nathan frowns, sitting back in his seat. He picks at the label on the bottle he’s holding, his eyes down. He looks up after a minute. “I know what he said to you.”

Nicole feels the air leave her lungs in a _whoosh_. She tries to inhale, but it catches in her throat and she swallows back the cough that tries to follow.

“I don’t know the _specific_ things,” Nathan clarifies. He shrugs. “But I overheard Waverly ranting about it one day at The Patch, like, right after he left to go back to wherever he’s living, and-”

“Maine,” Nicole mutters instinctually. She flushes. “Sorry.”

Nathan smiles softly at her. “Don’t apologize.” He clears his throat. “But I know enough to know that the things he said were…”

 _True,_ is the first thing Nicole thinks. Another voice in her head, the one that sounds like Waverly and always tells her to remember to breathe, says, _Wrong. None of it is true_.

“They were _shit_ ,” Nathan finishes. There’s an edge to his voice she hasn’t heard in a long time, an anger she doesn’t think he’s had since before Mercedes. “He was out of line and disrespectful and-and he doesn’t even _know_ you, so how does he think he can just skip back into town after almost 15 years of _nothing,_ and-”

Nicole reaches out and touches Nathan’s arm gently. “Hey, it’s fine.”

“It’s _not_ ,” Nathan insists. “You should have told me about it. You should have let me talk to him.”

“I can fight my own battles,” Nicole says quietly. Even as she says it, she thinks about Waverly stepping in; about Waverly standing up to her father; about Waverly giving her the courage to say something back.

“But you don’t _have_ to,” Nathan says. His eyes flash. “I would have decked him.”

Nicole smiles softly. “And that’s why I didn’t tell you.”

Nathan looks at her for a long minute. “You didn’t tell me because you didn’t trust me. And that’s not your fault,” he adds quickly. “You didn’t tell me because you didn’t think you could. But I…” He swears softly under his breath, clenching one hand into a fist. “I want you to know that you _can_ trust me. That you can talk to me about things.”

“So you didn’t invite him,” Nicole finishes.

Nathan exhales heavily. “Do you remember when he left?”

Nicole laughs, hard and forced. She slips out of her chair and turns it back around, leaning back against it. “Yeah. I can never _not_ remember.”

“Do you remember how you would come into my room at night, and we would listen to the tapes he left in the stereo?”

Nicole has to think for a minute, but she remembers that, too. She remembers how her dad had given her his collection, almost all of his tapes, but he had forgotten about the ones already in the stereo in the living room, next to their record player. Nathan had claimed them, carrying them up to his room and hoarding them away from her, except for at night, when she would stand in his door and ask to listen to them, just for a second, so that things felt _normal_ again. She nods slowly.

Nathan nods back at her. “And that first summer, you wouldn’t stop crying. You said everyone was going to leave you.”

Nicole feels her face burn. “Yeah, I-”

“I told you that I would _never_ leave you,” Nathan interrupts. “You would never be alone.”

Nicole opens her mouth again.

“I _promised_ ,” Nathan continues.

“It’s okay,” Nicole tries.

“It’s not, because-”

“It’s _okay_ ,” Nicole says, her voice firm.

Nathan huffs. “I said,” he tries. “I said, ‘ _It’ll always be the two of us. We’re gonna have each other’s backs. Like Jake and Elwood_ -”

“I’m Elwood,” Nicole interrupts.

“No way, you’re Jake.”

Nicole scowls. “I’m not-”

“I said,” Nathan repeats loudly, speaking over her. “That ‘ _It’s gonna be you and me. Scout’s honor_.”

Nicole’s shoulders drop and she nods. “I know.”

“You know what Scout’s honor means?”

“It means you’re always going to be my big brother,” she says, trying to laugh it off.

Nathan’s mouth stays in a firm line. “It means I promised to always have your back.”

Nicole rolls her eyes playfully. “You were a Scout, for, like, three weeks.”

“They really drill that honor thing into you,” Nathan says. “And I meant it when I said it, but I just… didn’t follow through. So I’m doing it now.”

“By not inviting him to the wedding,” Nicole offers.

Nathan nods. “Exactly.”

Nicole can feel the back of her eyes burn. “Nate…”

Nathan pushes out of his seat, kneeling in front of her. “I _love_ you, Nicole. I don’t say it enough. I don’t say it ever,” he adds, his head tipped to one side. “But I meant what I said about being there for you. And it starts now.” He catches her eye. “So. From this moment on, I promise to always have your back. Scout’s honor,” he says quietly, holding up three fingers.

Nicole feels the sob push up her throat and out of her mouth before she can stop it. She leans forward, into Nathan’s shoulder, her forehead pressed into his t-shirt. She can feel it getting wet under her eyes, but she can’t stop. His hands are strong and firm against her shoulder blades, holding her steady. He’s whispering something she can’t make out, but it feels like an apology. Nicole cries harder, grabbing desperately at Nathan’s arms.

She feels her body settling after a few minutes. She sniffles and winces at the wet marks she left on his shirt. She slowly unclenches her fists, trying to smooth out the wrinkles she knows she left behind.

He chuckles and pushes her hands away. “Don’t worry. Not everyone is a total space case about their clothes like you.” He squeezes her hands softly to take the sting out.

“I’m sorry for crying on you,” she mutters, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand.

“It’s okay, promise.” He smiles crookedly. “Scout’s honor.”

“God,” she grumbles, giving him a watery smile. “You’re going to be insufferable, huh?”

“Probably,” he admits. He pushes into a standing position, his knee clicking again. “I just want you to know that-”

“I do,” she promises. “It… it means a lot.”

Nathan smiles at her easily. “Okay. I’ll give you a minute, okay? Get yourself ready for whatever is going on in there.”

Nicole nods gratefully, taking a long swallow of her beer. She sets it down on the table, sighing heavily, suddenly exhausted.

“Hey,” she hears Nathan murmur. “I’m going to go shuffle the cards.”

“I’ll be in there in a minute,” someone says softly.

Nicole turns around, wiping hastily at her face. Waverly is standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. She squeezes Nathan’s shoulder and pushes forward, sitting in Nathan’s empty chair. She scoots it closer to Nicole, brushing her hand against Nicole’s knee.

“Hey,” Waverly breathes out.

“Hi,” Nicole says, her voice strangled.

“Oh, baby,” Waverly whispers, reaching out and wiping her thumb across Nicole’s cheek. “Are you okay?”

Nicole isn’t sure, but she nods anyway. “Nathan didn’t invite my dad to the wedding.”

Something flashes in Waverly’s eyes. “Good,” she says, her teeth clenched.

“Because he knows about what happened when… when he came to visit,” Nicole explains. “And he wanted me to know he‘s on my side.”

Waverly’s eyes soften. “Of course he is, baby.”

Nicole laughs, her throat still thick with tears.

“Oh,” Waverly whispers. “You didn’t know that.”

Nicole shrugs one shoulder. “I had an idea,” she admits. “But… we’re not big on talking about that kind of stuff.”

“I know,” Waverly sighs, pretending to be annoyed. “It’s, like, totally the worst thing about you.”

“Good to know,” Nicole murmurs.

Waverly leans in and kisses her forehead, her whole body following as she sits in Nicole’s lap. She brushes Nicole’s hair back with one hand, holding onto Nicole’s shoulder with the other. “You’re much better at it now,” she says kindly.

“That’s what I told Nathan.”

“Though you never _did_ tell me about Chrissy kissing you.” Waverly walks her fingers across Nicole’s collarbone.

Nicole flushes again. “It was-”

“Before me,” Waverly finishes.

“Well, yeah,” Nicole says. “But I was going to say, it was nothing that meant anything. And it was before you. And she never tried it again,” she says pointedly. “And I never wanted her to.”

Waverly flushes this time. “Okay, okay. I have a _small_ jealous streak.”

“ _Small_ ,” Nicole repeats.

Waverly pinches her shoulder softly. “Can it.”

“Make me,” Nicole sings.

Waverly kisses the corner of her mouth. “There.”

Nicole sighs softly. “Thank you.”

Waverly hums softly, her forehead against Nicole’s temple. “Baby?” she aks after a minute.

“Huh?” Nicole’s fingers twitch against Waverly’s hip. She goes back to drawing hearts and dotting her initials on Waverly’s skin.

“This Scout’s honor thing.”

Nicole groans softly. “You heard that?”

Waverly’s mouth brushes against her temple. “All this time, I’ve been making fun of you for saying it. But there’s a _reason_ you used it.”

Nicole shrugs. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It sounded like one,” Waverly says quietly. Her fingers drift to Nicole’s shirt sleeve, tinkering with the rolled fabric. “But you let me make fun of you.”

Nicole leans back, looking at up at Waverly. “I like the way you laugh.”

Waverly rolls her eyes and tucks her face into Nicole’s shoulder again, but not before Nicole can see the blush spread across her cheeks. “That’s not a good enough reason,” she says, her words muffled.

“I didn’t know how to say anything,” she admits.

Waverly is quiet, running the tips of her fingers up and down Nicole’s neck.

“And… it doesn’t bother me,” she continues. “When it’s you, or Wynonna, I mean.”

Waverly shifts in her lap, fingers still moving up Nicole’s neck and into her hair. Nicole lets her eyes flutter closed for a moment, savoring the warmth of Waverly against her body and the small goosebumps breaking out across her shoulders. She can hear Chrissy laughing and the deep timbre of Dolls’s voice. She hears Nathan power up his stereo and then The Blues Brothers is picking up in the middle of “Gimme Some Lovin’.”

“ _Well, I feel so good, everything's getting high. You better take it easy 'cause the place is on fire. Been a hard day and I had no work to do. Wait a minute baby, let it happen to you_.”

“ _And I'm so glad we made it, so glad we made it_ ,” Waverly sings.

“ _You got to gimme some lovin', gimme, gimme some lovin'._ ”

“I’ll try not to make fun of it anymore,” Waverly breathes into her ear. “Okay?”

Nicole hums. “I don’t mind if you do. Like I said. It doesn’t bother me.”

Waverly goes quiet again for a minute. “I love you, you know. Scout’s honor,” she adds.

Nicole breathes out, her lungs expanding easily. “I love you, too.”

Waverly kisses her cheek softly.

“Scout’s honor,” Nicole adds.

Waverly laughs in her ear and stands, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. “Come on. I want to see how many times I can kiss you in front of Chrissy before she says something.”

Nicole laughs and lets Waverly pull her along.

 

-

Nicole lifts a hand to shield the afternoon sun from getting in her eyes. Waverly has a tight grip on her other hand, occasionally pulling it as she talks to Chrissy. Nicole doesn’t catch their conversation, scanning the front of the church steps instead, trying to spot her brother. They finally left Nathan and Mercedes’s apartment sometime around midnight, crowding into Dolls’s car.

“Be safe,” Nicole had whispered to her car, parked out on the street, before Waverly had pulled her into the backseat of Dolls’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Waverly had driven them to Nathan’s this morning, following behind Nicole on their way to the church. Nicole paused in front of her car, stopping to watch Waverly climb down out of her Jeep. She ending up picking a gray long-sleeved dress with a gold sash knotted at her waist. They stood in the mirror in Nicole’s apartment this morning, staring at their reflections as they put finishing touches on their outfit. Nicole looped her arms around Waverly’s waist, holding her close. She rested her chin on Waverly’s shoulder, swaying slowly to the radio.

“I’m sorry we didn’t get to look like this for your prom,” she murmured into Waverly’s ear.

Waverly turned her head, kissing Nicole softly. “We looked good then.”

“We didn’t _match_ this way, though.”

Waverly shrugged one shoulder and leaned forward, closing one eye as she looped her earring through her ear. “We still looked good. That’s all that matters. Well, that, and, you actually _went_ with me.”

Nicole kissed Waverly’s cheek. “You look beautiful.”

“So do you,” Waverly breathed out. “Suave.”

Nicole snorted. “Suave.”

“Doesn’t she look suave?” Waverly asks loudly, pulling Nicole out of her thoughts.

Nicole turns and rolls her eyes at Chrissy. “You don’t have to answer that,” she says, looking back at the front steps.

“Dapper,” Waverly continues. “Smart. Dashing. Aristocratic.”

Nicole squeezes Waverly’s hand. “Okay, baby. We get it. You read the dictionary.”

Waverly smacks the back of her hand against Nicole’s stomach, moving her cummerbund out of place. Nicole huffs and readjusts it.

“I _barely_ knocked it out of place,” Waverly mutters.

“But you-” Nicole cuts herself off. “Oh! I see Nathan.”

Waverly sighs. “You have to go with the boys, now?”

Nicole pulls Waverly close, resting her chin on the top of Waverly’s head. “I’m in charge of the rings. And the longer Nathan holds onto them, the more chance he has of losing them.” She feels Waverly’s arms wind around her waist. “You’re sitting with Chrissy?”

“And Jeremy,” Waverly says. “On the groom’s side.”

The church bell rings above them and people start to file towards the doors of the church. Nicole sees Nathan push up onto his toes and scan the crowd, his shoulders dropping when he doesn’t see what he’s looking for. Nicole places one finger under Waverly’s chin and tips her head back.

“It’s bad luck to kiss the bride before the wedding,” Chrissy says, grabbing Waverly by the elbow.

Nicole loosens her grip and lets Waverly spin out of her arms. “But she’s not the bride.”

“Not yet,” Chrissy says, winking. She loops her arm through Waverly’s and pulls her towards the church. She looks back over her shoulder at Nicole and mouths “ _I’m sorry_ ” at her.

For a second, Nicole is seventeen again, standing in the high school parking lot while Chrissy catches up to Waverly. She blinks and barely manages to turn her head in time for Nathan to come crashing into her.

“Relax, Frankie,” Nicole mutters.

Nathan hands her a flask he pulls out of his suit. “For luck.”

“Luck?” Nicole snorts. “Luck was when she said yes. _This_ is just insanity,” she teases. She takes the flask and presses it to her lips, tipping it back. The liquor burns as it goes down. She coughs a little, swallowing hard.

Nathan grabs her by the shoulder and pulls her into his side. “I’m so nervous.”

Nicole laughs and follows as he pulls her along. They meet Dolls and Perry inside the doors, passing around Nathan’s flask.

“Nicole?” someone calls softly from behind her.

Nicole turns, frowning at Waverly. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Waverly breathes out.

Nicole frowns, looking over her shoulder at Nathan, Dolls, and Perry. “What’s the matter? I thought you were going to sit down?”

Waverly reaches out and runs a hand down the front of Nicole’s cummerbund. “I just wanted to see you one more time.” She tips her head to the side. “Is that okay?”

Nicole feels something warm spread through her body slowly. “Of course, baby.”

“And Wynonna is being _annoying_ ,” Waverly grumbles, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s middle. “She keeps telling me that she gets to walk down the aisle with you before I do.”

“She… what?” Nicole asks.

“She keeps-”

“Okay, okay,” Nicole interrupts. Her face feels hot. “She’s just… she’s just teasing.”

“I know,” Waverly says. “But it’s _annoying_.”

Nicole fights a small smile. “And you’re jealous.”

Waverly huffs. “Okay, _fine_ . I’m _jealous_. Are you happy?”

Nicole smoothes her fingers down the ends of Waverly’s hair - long and loose today. She twirls one strand around her pointer finger, letting it slide right off. “No,” she says honestly. “I’m sorry. Do you want me to go talk to her?”

“No,” Waverly pouts. “I’m just being… childish.” She sighs. “I know I am. This is stupid to get upset over.”

Nicole kisses the side of Waverly’s head. “It’s not,” she says. “But I’m also only walking her down the aisle as a courtesy to my brother.”

“It’s not about _her_ ,” Waverly exhales. “It’s because she won’t let it go that I don’t get to.”

“Waves,” Nicole sighs.

“It’s fine,” Waverly says quickly, starts to untangle herself from Nicole.

Nicole meets Nathan’s eye over Waverly’s head. He lifts the flask at her and nods. Nicole grins widely and slips out of Waverly’s hold, offering Waverly her arm. “How about I walk you to your seat? That way, we can say we walked down the aisle before Wynonna and I do.”

A smile spreads across Waverly’s face slowly, her eyes lighting up. “Okay,” she breathes out.

Nicole hums the opening notes of “Faithfully” under her breath as they start to walk through the foyer and into the church. “Oh,” she says quietly, suddenly remembering something. “You know, Wynonna and I played bride and groom when we were younger, but she made me be the priest.”

Waverly pulls back and frowns. “So, who was the bride and groom?”

“Wynonna was the bride. She married a Bad Company cassette,” Nicole says flatly.

Waverly scoffs. “Of course she did.”

“You know a married couple doesn’t walk down the aisle until the _end_ of the wedding,” Nicole points out.

Waverly nods slowly.

“What I mean is, it doesn’t matter who you walk _up_ the aisle with. It only matters who you walk back down with,” she finishes in a whisper. Nicole stops in front of the pew, smiling at Chrissy. “This is your stop.”

Waverly presses up onto the toes of her shoes and kisses the corner of Nicole’s mouth. “I love you,” she murmurs.

Wynonna’s head pops out from behind the heavy wooden door that connects the foyer to the church. “Nicole,” she hisses loudly.

“That’s my cue,” Nicole says, leaning in for a real kiss. Waverly’s hand lingers on her jaw, her fingertips slipping off her skin as Nicole pulls back. “See you soon.”

“ _Finally_ ,” Wynonna sighs as Nicole slips into the foyer next to her.

Nathan is pacing back and forth by a small table with wedding programs fanned out across it. Perry and Dolls are adjusting each other’s bowties. Anne is swaying, making the skirt of her dress swish back and forth. Beth is leaning against the wall, scowling at the back of Wynonna’s head. Nicole knows that Mercedes is in the small room off to the side of the foyer, putting the final touches on her dress.

Nicole narrows her eyes at Wynonna, her arms crossed over her chest.

Wynonna looks back at her after a minute. “Oh, what?”

“You know what.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

Wynonna squares up to her. “No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you-”

The front door of the building opens, nearly taking Wynonna out. Doc stumbles through the doorway into the foyer, patting his jacket down, his hat askew. Fish and Levi are right behind him, straightening out their jackets and brushing off their pants. Nicole watches, amused, as Fish holds Levi steady with one hand, brushing something out of his hair with the other.

“I do apologize for our delay,” Doc starts. He adjusts his hat. “We got ourselves into a… skirmish in the parking lot.” He pulls down his jacket again, sending up a fine cloud of dust.

Wynonna sighs, reaching over to brush some dirt off his arm. “What does that even mean?”

Doc’s eyes dart around the foyer. “We came across a particular individual attempting to tamper with a specific vehicle.”

Nicole straightens up, arms dropping as she takes a step towards Doc. “Say that again.”

“No need, Officer Haught,” Doc says, holding up a hand. “Fish, Levi, and I have deterred the would-be tamperer.”

Nathan frowns. “What?”

Doc sighs. “We were parking when we discovered Jonas Adamson poking around the back end of that Eldorado of yours, Nathan. He had a can of spray paint with him.”

“What?” Mercedes’s voice asks, coming out from behind the door separating her from the rest of the group. The doorknob starts to turn.

Wynonna kicks a foot out against the door, stopping it from opening.

“Hey!” Mercedes shouts.

“You can’t come out here!” Wynonna yells back. She turns on Beth. “What’s going on?”

Beth frowns. “Why’re you asking me?”

Wynonna glares. “Because _your_ dickweed of a boyfriend is outside with spray paint.”

“I don’t know what-”

The church doors open again and Jonas slips in, a smirk on his face. “Wow, you waited for me.”

Nathan bares his teeth and steps forward, but Doc and Fish and Nicole move before him. Nicole pushes her palms flat against his shoulders, shoving him away from Jonas while Doc and Fish grab Jonas by the arm, dragging him back out of the doors and down the steps.

“Let them handle it,” Nicole hisses Nathan.

The door bangs shut behind Doc and Fish.

Mercedes knocks on the door she’s behind, turning the doorknob. “Tell me what’s going on out there.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Wynonna says cheerfully. “We’re just kicking Jonas out of the wedding.”

There’s a long pause before Mercedes says, “Thank fucking god.”

Beth scowls. “You know what? I’ve had-”

“Oh, get bent,” Anne mutters. She looks up, eyes wide, as she realizes everyone is staring at her.

Beth scoffs and looks away.

Nicole smoothes out Nathan’s suit, adjusting his gold bowtie. “You’re getting married,” she reminds him. “So let me check on them, and we’ll get this party started, huh?” She waits until he nods before she pulls open the door and pokes her head outside. She sees Doc and Fish shoving Jonas in through the driver’s door of his Pinto. Doc slams it shut and nods sharply, turning on his heel and marching back towards the church. He pauses in front of Nicole, letting Fish catch up.

“It’s been taken care of,” he says firmly.

Nicole claps him on the shoulder. “I owe you a beer.”

“I would prefer something more than that,” Doc huffs, a smile spreading on his face. “But a beer should suffice for now. Come on, Fish. I do believe Waverly saved us a seat.”

Everyone is in line when Nicole slips back inside the church. She takes her place next to Wynonna, in front of Nathan and behind Perry. Dolls is turned around, looking back at her. He catches her eye and turns around again, signaling someone inside the church.

“Chin up,” Wynonna murmurs, her fingers moving across Nicole’s neck and bowtie. She pats it gently and nods. “There. Perfect.”

Doc, Fish, and Levi slip past their line and disappear into the church.

Dolls starts moving, Anne on his arm. When they get to the tenth row, Perry and Beth start forward.

“Ready?” Nicole asks over her shoulder.

Nathan laughs. “As I’ll ever be.”

Perry and Beth get to the tenth row and Nicole’s body jerks forward, pulling Wynonna along with her. She finds Waverly’s eyes quickly, giving her a small smile as she tries to keep pace with Wynonna. She winks as she passes Waverly, stopping at the bottom of the altar to let Wynonna go ahead of her.

Nathan isn’t far behind, his face drawn and pale as he marches down the aisle. He comes up next to her, their shoulders brushing as he takes a deep breath.

The wedding march starts and every head in the room turns towards the door.

Mercedes floats down the aisle, her smile wide and bright on her dad’s arm. Her dress is big and white and billows out behind her like there’s a fan at one end of the aisle, pushing the fabric around. Her dad moves slowly around the train, careful not to step on it. Nicole spares a glance at Nathan, leaning forward to see his face.

“Wow,” he breathes out.

Nicole looks back at Mercedes. Her eyes skate past Mercedes, over Doc and Fish and Levi, and land on Waverly.

Nicole inhales sharply, swallowing heavily. Waverly smiles softly, ducking her head.

The celebrant reads a passage about love, his voice booming across the church. Nicole pats her pocket carefully, making sure the rings are still there, still snug in her jacket. Nathan had slipped them into her hand earlier, after the shot to calm his nerves. His hands had been shaking the entire time.

“Now,” the celebrant says. “If there is anyone here who objects to the union of this couple, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Nicole straightens her shoulders, still thinking about the rings. She needs to wait for the vows, and then the celebrant will ask for the rings; she practiced at home.

“Wait,” Mercedes says, her voice echoing in the high ceilings of the church.

Nicole’s head snaps up. A murmur ripples through the guests.

“W-what?” Nathan asks, his voice strangled.

Mercedes has her eyes on the ground as she shakes her head. “I just…” She steps down, looking past Nathan. “I just need to know,” she says. She steps forward, stopping in front of Nicole.

Nicole feels her face burn. The crowd gets a little louder.

Nicole takes a step back. “I don’t-” She looks into the pews, finding Wavely’s eyes.

 _What_? Waverly mouths.

Nicole shakes her head furiously, taking another step back. She feels Perry against her shoulder, hands pushing her forward again.

“I just don’t want to marry the wrong Haught,” Mercedes keeps going, raising her voice enough for everyone to hear her. “So if there’s a chance you want to leave with me right now, I’m ready to run out those doors with you and never look back.”

There’s an audible gasp and a shriek from somewhere on the bride’s side.

“This isn’t-” Nicole leans forward, whispering hoarsely. “You’re marrying my _brother_.”

Waverly’s eyes are wide, her jaw hanging open.

Mercedes reaches up, touching the edge of her collar. “Ever since that magical kiss we shared in the back of Fish’s truck, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Nicole feels her throat closing and her stomach turning. Her collar feels too tight. She glances anxiously at Waverly, but Waverly is still staring right at Mercedes, horrified.

“Mercedes, _what_ are you doing?” Nicole hisses. She looks at Nathan, but he’s standing still, his head hung. “This is _ridiculous_.”

Mercedes rubs the lapel of Nicole’s jacket between her thumb and forefinger, looking up at Nicole through her eyelashes. “Is there _any_ chance you want me, Loverboy?” The serious line of her mouth breaks around the word ‘ _loverboy’_ and she’s smirking.

Nicole pulls back, her eyes narrowed. “You’re… You’re _joking_ .” She looks up at Nathan, but he’s grinning back at her. “I-I… I can’t _believe_ you.”

Mercedes winks, pressing a kiss to Nicole’s cheek. “It was your brother’s idea,” she whispers in her ear. “God, I can’t wait to marry him.”

Nicole stands there for a minute, her mouth wide open, and her face burning. _It was a joke_ , she thinks. _A joke_. She tries to catch Waverly’s eye in the audience, but Waverly is doubled over, her hand over her mouth as she laughs.

“D-did…” she looks around at the wedding party. Wynonna is wiping a tear away from her eye, leaning heavily on Mercedes as she laughs. Anne is grinning brightly, still swishing her dress back and forth. Beth is scowling, rolling her eyes when Nicole looks at her. She turns quickly, but Perry and Dolls are both laughing silently, fists in their mouths as they try to say quiet. Chrissy and Waverly are both sitting, trying to catch their breath.

“Did _everyone_ know about this?”

Nathan claps her on the shoulder. “It was actually Waverly’s idea. I didn’t think she had it in her.”

Nicole turns slowly, eyes locked in on Waverly’s.

 _I’m sorry_ , Waverly mouths, pushing onto her tiptoes to see over the people in front of her. _I love you_.

Nicole presses her lips into a thin line. “You are all _the worst_ ,” she whispers. “All of you.” She straightens her shoulders and looks at the celebrant. “Did _you_ have any part in this?” she asks, her work-voice on.

“No, ma’am,” he says.

Nicole studies him for a minute before she nods sharply. “Then you can proceed getting these two airheads married to each other.”

“Oh, Loverboy,” Mercedes coos. She grabs Nathan’s hand, takes a second to compose herself, and nods at the celebrant. “Let’s get hitched.”

 

-

“Ladies and gentleman,” the DJ says, the microphone scratching against his moustache for a minute. “Put your hands together and welcome, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Haught!”

The room breaks out in applause.

Nathan and Mercedes come in through a side door, holding their hands high above their heads. Nicole is still frowning, still grumpy about being put on the spot like that, but Waverly is pressed into her side, one arm around Nicole’s waist. She smiles and drops her arm across the back of Waverly’s shoulders.

“She’s so pretty,” Waverly sighs.

Nicole squeezes Waverly’s shoulder.

“If everyone could take a seat, it’s time for the first dance,” the DJ announces.

Waverly sits down, her hand sliding across the small of Nicole’s back as she laces their fingers together. Nicole smiles across the table at Perry and Chrissy, leaning into each other. Jeremy is on Waverly’s other side, trying to adjust Dolls’s bowtie. Wynonna is stealing Doc’s hat and holding it out of reach while Doc anxiously smoothes down his hair.

They’re all together on the best day of Nathan’s life.

The ache in her feet, where her toes are pinched into a pair of shoes she doesn’t always wear, is suddenly worth it.

Nathan and Mercedes pause in the middle of the dance floor, smiling at each other. There’s a moment of silence as the DJ fumbles with his stereo, but then Aerosmith is coming on and Mercedes is sliding her arms around Nathan’s neck as they start to dance.

“ _Oh_ ,” Waverly sighs. “I _love_ this song.”

“ _I could stay awake just to hear you breathing. Watch you smile while you are sleeping, while you're far away and dreaming,_ ” Steven Tyler sings.

Waverly squeezes Nicole’s hand.

Nicole smiles softly, rubbing her thumb across the back of Waverly’s knuckles.

Nathan and Mercedes move in circles around the floor. As they pass by Nicole’s table, she can see him singing softly in Mercedes’s ear.

“ _Don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep. 'Cause I'd miss you, baby, and I don't want to miss a thing. 'Cause even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream will never do. I'd still miss you, baby, and I don't want to miss a thing_.”

Mercedes presses forward and kisses Nathan. Everyone claps loudly, and Wynonna whoops, banging her fist down on the table.

Nicole looks back over her shoulder and rolls her eyes.

Wynonna smiles and flips her the middle finger.

“The bride and groom would like to invite any couple out onto the dance floor at this time,” the DJ says quietly into the microphone.

Waverly grabs Nicole by the hand and pulls, tugging her up and out of her chair. They stumble onto the dance floor, Nicole looking around nervously. Perry and Chrissy are right behind them, Chrissy leaning into Perry’s chest. Nicole looks back and grins; even Doc is dragging Wynonna out into the middle of the floor.

“ _Lying close to you, feeling your heart beating, and I'm wondering what you're dreaming, wondering if it's me you're seeing_ ,” Steven Tyler sings.

“ _Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together,_ ” Waverly joins in.

Nicole leans forward, her mouth trailing over Waverly’s chin before she finds Waverly’s lips. She slides her hands up Waverly’s sides, pulling her closer. Waverly’s hands move into her hair, tugging her down as her tongue slides along Nicole’s bottom lip. Nicole moans softly, her hands flexing on Waverly’s sides.

“ _I just want to stay with you in this moment forever, forever and ever._ ”

The song changes to Bon Jovi’s “Always” and Waverly tightens her grip on Nicole’s neck, staying on the dancefloor.

“I like that song, too,” Nicole admits.

Waverly lifts up, pressing her lips to Nicole’s softly.

“Can I cut in?” a voice asks.

Nicole looks up. Mercedes is standing there, holding out a hand.

“Of course,” Waverly says. “I’m going to go get something to drink.” She lifts up onto her toes and kisses Nicole on the cheek.

Nicole takes Mercedes’s hand, eyes narrowed. “Congratulations,” she says slowly.

Mercedes grins. “Thanks, _sis_.”

Nicole shudders. “I think I prefer Loverboy, honestly.”

“I hope you’re not mad about what happened during the ceremony,” Mercedes says, waving at an older couple going by them on the dance floor.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Nicole grumbles.

Mercedes pinches the back of Nicole’s neck where her hand is resting. “Talk to your girlfriend. She and Nathan are the ones who came up with the idea.” She pauses. “I didn’t even know you told her about that kiss.”

Nicole feels her face flush. “I told her right after it happened. I don’t really know why.”

“Yes, you do,” Mercedes says softly.

Nicole pauses for a moment, the corner of her mouth pulling up into a smile. “Yeah, I do.”

They dance for a minute, moving around the floor to “Because The Night.” Nicole spots Waverly by their table, leaning over the back of a chair as she talks to Jeremy and Chrissy. She looks up, catching Nicole’s eyes, and smiles, head tipped to the side. Nicole feels a pull, low in her gut, and a flutter in her chest. She can’t put a finger on it, but there’s something about the way Waverly looks that makes Nicole want to cross the room and kiss her. It must be on her face, because when she looks back at Mercedes, Mercedes is grinning widely.

 "You guys are grody.”

“Thanks,” Nicole says flatly, her cheeks burning.

“I want to thank you,” Mercedes says quietly. “For all of this.”

Nicole looks around. “Your parents’ money did all of this.”

Mercedes glares. “You know what I mean.”

Nicole spins Mercedes to the right, careful not to step on her dress. “No, I don’t,” she admits.

“For being here?” Mercedes says. “For being a good sport? For being your brother’s best man?”

“Best woman,” Nicole corrects.

Mercedes smiles. “Best woman.” She lets Nicole lead them around for another minute. “For not telling him to stay away from me,” she says quietly.

Nicole misses a step. “Why would I do that?” she asks.

“The Gardners might have a lot of money, but we don’t have the popular vote,” Mercedes says dryly. “I know what people think of us.”

“I never thought that,” Nicole admits. “I mean…” She ducks her head. “You always kind of scared me. But not because of your family. Because you always looked like you were one Aerosmith song away from sticking your heel in someone’s throat.”

Mercedes grins widely. “Oh, yeah?”

“Totally,” Nicole breathes out. “But I always liked you.”

“ _Liked_ me, liked me?” Mercedes asks.

Nicole huffs.

Mercedes squeezes her hand, spinning out of Nicole’s arms. “I’m kidding, _Loverboy_. Maybe,” she adds with a wink.

Waverly steps in, lacing her arms around Nicole’s neck. “What was that about?”

Nicole shakes her head slowly. “I’ll never understand her.”

“It looks like Nathan will,” Waverly sighs softly, looking over Nicole’s shoulder. Nicole spins them, finding Nathan and Mercedes across the room easily. Nathan is looking at Mercedes like she’s the only person in the room, his hands on her waist as Mercedes talks to someone Nicole doesn’t recognize.

“You like weddings,” Nicole says.

Waverly rolls her eyes. “Of _course_ I like weddings. There’s pretty dresses and good music, and if this is what you’re going to look like every wedding we go to…” She trails off. “I _love_ weddings.”

Nicole changes her rhythm as the song changes to “I Want You,” swaying in place. Waverly presses closer against her, tightening her grip on Nicole’s neck.

 _“Ooh, baby, the things you to do to me. Yeah… You make me feel so good… Ooh, baby… I want you - I want you… ,_ ” Waverly sings.

Nicole groans. “Not this song.”

“You don’t like this song?” Waverly shakes her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“It’s… it’s a _boy band_.”

Waverly stops dancing, pulling back to stare at Nicole. “And what are the bands you like?”

“Glam rock.”

“ _Glam rock_ ,” Waverly repeats flatly. “They’re _boy bands_.”

“No, they’re not,” Nicole argues.

“They’re boys with big hair and waxed chests,” Waverly says slowly. She pulls Nicole back to her. “They’re boy bands.”

“They’re-”

“Don’t be a music snob,” Waverly says lightly, smiling at Nicole. “Just dance with me.”

Nicole feels Waverly’s fingers press against her neck and her eyes flutter softly. “We can dance,” she agrees. “But they better play some _good_ music, soon.”

“The hotties in Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch are going to be a musical legends,” Waverly vows. “Just you wait.”

“I won’t hold my breath,” Nicole mutters.

They dance through “Amazed” by Lonestar and “Run-Around” by Blues Traveler, but Nicole sits down for “Posion” by Bell Biv Devoe. Waverly pulls her back up onto the dance floor for “More Than Words” and makes her stay through FireHouse’s “I Live My Life For You.”

“I want different flowers,” Waverly says absently, her eyes on the obscene amount of daffodils on the buffet table. “And something a little less…”

“ _I've built my world around you, and I want you to know I need you, like I've never needed anyone before,_ ” C.J. Snare sings.

“Like the kind of flowers you buy a sick aunt you don’t know,” Nicole finishes.

The corners of Waverly’s mouth twitch. “Yes. _Exactly_ that.” She giggles a little as Nicole spins her in a quick circle. “Maybe we can have something more… _delicate_ at our wedding.”

“ _I live my life for you. I want to be by your side in everything that you do. And if there's only one thing you can believe is true, I live my life for you._ ”

“Our wedding,” Nicole repeats, the words a whisper.

“We’re getting married,” Waverly says firmly. “I’m just waiting on you.”

“ _I dedicated my life to you. You know that I would die for you, but our love would last forever._ ”

Nicole leans down, resting her forehead against Waverly’s. She swallows hard. “Waves.”

“ _And I will always be with you, and there is nothing we can't do, as long as we're together._ ”

“I _can_ wait for this,” Waverly continues. “So, take your time.” She brushes her nose against Nicole’s. “Just don’t wait _too_ long, okay?”

“Promise,” Nicole breathes out. She spins Waverly in a slow circle. “Just wait for me.”

Waverly smiles softly. “I can wait.” She nods. “For you, I can wait.”


End file.
